JON VENABLES PAROLE HEARING COULD BE OPENED TO THE PUBLIC AS JAMES BULGER’S MOTHER DEMANDS TRANSPARENCY

More than three decades after the murder of two-year-old James Bulger, his mother Denise Fergus is making another emotional push for transparency as Jon Venables prepares for his latest parole review.

Fergus and her husband, Stuart, have formally asked the Parole Board to allow the upcoming hearing to be held in public. The application was officially published by the Parole Board on August 7, 2026.

Their request does not mean the hearing has been approved for public access. The Parole Board is still considering the application.

WHY DENISE FERGUS WANTS THE HEARING PUBLIC

According to the official application, the Fergus family argues that a public hearing could improve understanding of the parole process and help counter misinformation surrounding the case.

They also say public scrutiny would allow people to better understand how the Parole Board assesses risk — particularly given Venables’ subsequent convictions after his original release.

The family argues that Venables should have to confront the seriousness of his offending through a process that can be seen by the public, while appropriate safeguards would still protect sensitive information.

For Denise Fergus, the issue is deeply personal.

She has lived with the consequences of James’ murder for more than 30 years, and the prospect of another parole review has brought the case back into public focus.

VENABLES WAS RELEASED — THEN RECALLED TWICE

Venables and Robert Thompson were both 10 years old when they abducted and murdered James Bulger in Merseyside in February 1993.

Both were eventually released on licence in 2001 under lifelong anonymity protections.

But Venables was subsequently recalled to prison twice after being convicted of offenses involving indecent images of children — first in 2010 and again in 2017. He has remained incarcerated since the second recall.

His history after release has become a major part of the debate surrounding his latest parole application.

HIS LAST PAROLE BID WAS REJECTED

Venables previously sought release in 2023.

The Parole Board rejected the application and determined that he continued to pose a risk to children.

Now, after another period in custody, he has been given another opportunity to argue for release.

The upcoming review is expected to examine his current risk and whether that risk can be safely managed in the community.

THIS IS NOT THE FIRST TIME A PUBLIC HEARING HAS BEEN REQUESTED

A previous application by James Bulger’s family to make Venables’ parole hearing public was rejected in October 2023.

The Parole Board’s published decision stated that the application was not granted.

The new application therefore represents another attempt by the family to bring greater transparency to the parole process.

The circumstances are also different now because of Venables’ subsequent convictions and his continued imprisonment.

WHAT HAPPENS NEXT?

The Parole Board has not yet announced whether the new request for a public hearing will be granted.

If permission is given, strict protections would still apply because Venables has lifelong anonymity protections designed to prevent information that could identify him or reveal his whereabouts from being published.

The application deadline for representations was August 14, 2026.

The parole review itself is not expected before September 2026, according to recent reporting.

⚖️ THREE DECADES LATER, THE QUESTIONS CONTINUE

For the public, this is another chapter in one of Britain’s most notorious criminal cases.

For Denise Fergus, however, it is much more than that.

It is another moment when the future of one of James Bulger’s killers is being debated — while her family continues to live with the consequences of what happened to their two-year-old son.

Will Jon Venables be allowed to face his next parole hearing in public?

And if he is considered for release, will the Parole Board decide that he can finally be safely managed outside prison?

Those questions remain unanswered.